Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2016) 5(3): 300-308 International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 5 Number 3(2016) pp. 300-308 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Original Research Article http://dx.doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2016.503.036 Biological Activities of Different Parts of Saraca asoca an Endangered Valuable Medicinal Plant Ch. Mohan1*, S. Kistamma1, P. Vani2 and A. Narshimha Reddy1 1Department of Botany, Osmania University, Hyderabad-500007, Telangana, India 2Department of Botany, Raja Bahadur Venkata Rama Reddy Women's College, Hyderabad, Telangana, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT K eywo rd s This report describes the phytochemical relation of the antibacterial, antioxidant activity of different explants extract of Saraca asoca (Roxb.) De Wilde. In the Saraca asoca, present study preliminary phytochemical analysis of different extracts (bark, flower Phytochemical and leaves) was conducted, which revealed the presence of Alkaloids, Flavonoids, screening, Glycosides, Saponins, Phenols, Steroids, Tannins and Triterpenoids. Quatitative Antibacterial estimation of Flavanoids and Phenols was conducted using methanolic, ethanolic activity, and aqueous extracts. Screening for antibacterial activity of extracts of different S. Antioxidant asoca explants were performed against gram positive and gram negative bacteria activity, DPPH. by the disk diffusion method. The activities of the compounds were compared with standard strain for antibacterial properties of the imine base and its solvent extract Article Info evaluated and presenting in indicate that the compounds are active in exhibiting antibacterial role. Methanol bark extract showed maximum DPPH, radical Accepted: scavenging activity which is the measure of antioxidant property at the 15 February 2016 concentration of above compounds at 200 µg/µL-1 follows the order Ascorbic acid Available Online: > Bark extract of S. asoca while at higher concentration the same order is followed 10 , March 2016 by bark extraction exchanged their position. There present study confirms of photochemical, antibacterial and antioxidant activity of all plant extract of S. asoca. Introduction Undoubtingly plants are a good source of Saraca asoca is a medicinally important and biologically active natural products. While globally vulnerable plant species found in investigating the bioactive natural the evergreen forests of India (Thakur et al., compounds, it is essential to have access to 1989). India has often been referred to as the simple biological tests in order to locate medicinal garden of the world and the required activities (Sener et al., 1994). This medicinal plant Saraca asoca has been species is currently listed as a ‘globally regarded as one of the foremost plants vulnerable’ species by the IUCN 2013. utilized from antiquity till date. Saraca (http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/deta asoca (Roxb.) De Wilde, is a small ils/34623/0). evergreen tree, belongs to the family 300 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2016) 5(3): 300-308 Caesalpiniaceae is commonly known as purified from Saraca indica seed Asoka, Sita Asoka and Haempushpam. It is integument, has been found to agglutinate an evergreen tree which is 9 m in height. human lymphocytes and erythrocytes The flowers are orange yellow in colour and irrespective of the blood group; it causes arranged in dense corymbs. It occurs agglutination of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma throughout India up to an altitude of 750m (EAC)3 cells as well as animal erythrocytes in central and eastern Himalayas. Leaves are (Cibin et al., 2010).Moreover, chemo- parpinnate 15-20 cm long and the leaflets 6- preventive activity of flavonoid fraction of 12, oblong and rigidly sub-coriaceous. Saraca asoca flower was reported in skin Leaves are narrowly lanceolate, cork like at carcinogenesis (Ghosh et al., 1999). the base and with a shot pestistipules are Larvicidal activity has also been recorded by intra-petiolar and completely united. The using Saraca bark and leaves (Methew et bark is dark brown or grey or almost black al., 2008). Biochemical analyses have with warty surface. Stem bark are rough and shown that leaves of S. asoca contain uneven due to the presence of rounded or carbohydrates, proteins, glycosides, projecting lenticles. Bark channeled, smooth flavonoids, tannins and saponins (Pradhan et with circular lenticles and traversely ridged, al., 2010). Different plant parts of S. asoca sometimes cracked. Fracture splinting provide antibacterial (Nayak et al., 2011) exposing striated surface, a thin whitish and CNS depressant, anti-pyretic, anthelmintic continuous layer is seen beneath the cork and analgesic activities (Nayak et al., 2010 leaver. Flowers are fragrant. Flowers are and Varma et al., 2010). Polygamous apetalous, yellowish orange turning to scarlet, in short laterally placed All the plant parts are considered to contain corymbose, auxillary panicles, bract small, medicinal properties. Leaves of Saraca deciduous and calyx petaloid. Seeds are 4-8, asoca are known to contain carbohydrates, ellipsoid-oblong and compressed (Ali et al., proteins, tannins and saponins and shows 2008 and Jain et al., 1968). antibacterial activity (Pradhan et al., 2010). Barks and Flowers contain glycosides, Useful parts of the plant are barks, leaves, steroids, saponins, carbohydrates and flowers and seed. The earliest chronicled tannins (Pal et al., 1985). The flowers are mention of this tree is in the ayurvedic also regarded as medicinally important plant treatise and later in Charka Samhita (100 part and used as therapeutic agent in A.D.) in which Ashoka has been treatment of diabetes, cancer and recommended in formulations for the hemorrhagic dysentery, uterine infections as management of gynecological disorders as menorrhagia and other types of uterine anodynes. Ashokarista is a very famous disorders. It is also used in bleeding piles, formulation from the bark of this plant bacillary dysentery. which is available commercially from various reputed companies and used to treat Dried flower buds are reported to have menstrual disorders. Different parts of antibacterial activity. Aqueous suspension of Saraca asoca plant have been attributed Saraca indica flower has antiulcer activity with high medicinal value. Saraca asoca in albino rats (Maruthappan et al., 2010). bark extracts are often used in Leucorrhea Saraca asoca bark and flowers exhibit (Shukla et al., 2008). Flowers have shown antitumour activity against DLA, S-180 and encouraging anti-ulcer activity in albino rats Ehrlich ascites carcinoma tumour cell lines, (Maruthappan et al., 2010). Saracin, a lectin Larvicidal activity has also been recorded 301 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2016) 5(3): 300-308 (Methew et al., 2008). Chemo preventive Preparation of Extracts activity of flavonoid fraction of S. asoca is reported in skin carcinogenesis. During Plant samples (bark, flowers and leaves) ‘ashoka-sasthi’ the flower buds are taken were washed with distilled water and air- orally by women. Though phytoconstituents dried at room temperature for 7-10 days, have been reported earlier in case of leaves then oven-dried at 40 0C to remove the and bark of the plant (Pradhan et al., 2010), residual moisture. The dried plant parts were no detail qualitative phytochemical analysis pulverized and stored in air-tight containers are found for flowers. at 4 0C for future use. 50 g of powdered samples of bark, flowers and leaves were The antimicrobial activity of the stem and extracted with methanol by soxhlation bark of Saraca indica have been evaluated method at 60 to 80 0C. The three filtrates against standard strain of Staphylococcus were separately concentrated in water bath aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella at 40 0C and evaporated under reduced typhimurium (Sainath et al., 2009). The pressure. leaves of Saraca indica also evaluated for anthelmintic activity (Nayak et al., 2011), Phytochemical Analysis analgesic and antipyretic activities (Pradhan et al., 2010), CNS depressant activity The four extracts obtained from the (Yadav et al., 2008). The reports of powdered flowers of Saraca asoca were quantitative estimation of different subjected to phytochemical tests to antioxidants of the bark of Saraca asoca are determine the presence of active secondary hardly available. The antioxidant property is metabolites using standard procedures also related to the condition of soil and (Mohan et al., 2014). environment where the plant is grown. So in this investigation we are quantitatively Antibacterial Activity estimate different phytochemicals such as total polyphenols, flavonoids, ascorbic acid The disc diffusion method was used to and tannins and free radical scavenging evaluate the antibacterial activity of the activities of DPPH to evaluate antioxidants synthesized compounds against four properties of the bark of Saraca asoca. In bacterial strains viz; E. coli, P. aeruginosa, the Present study was phytochemical K. pnemone and S. aureus. Each organism analysis, antibacterial activity and was cultured in nutrient broth at 37 0C for 24 antioxidant study of the different parts of h. Then 1 % broth culture containing methanol extracts of Saraca asoca bark, approximately 106 colony forming units flower and leaves was carried out. (CFU/mL) of test strain was added to nutrient agar medium at 45 0C and poured Materials and Methods into sterile petri plates. The medium was allowed to solidify. 5 μL of the test Plant material used various plant parts (bark, compound (40 mg/mL